werewolves. You know?”
He sat beside her on the log, slinging his arm over her shoulders in a comforting half hug. “Yeah. I do.” Rylie’s cheeks heated again. Becoming a werewolf couldn’t be too bad if it meant getting Seth to comfort her.
“There’s another full moon in a few days,” she said. “What do I do?”
“I think you should lay low. The werewolf is a person, so it might come looking for you.” She opened her mouth to speak, but Seth went on before she could. “I’m not trying to scare you. Just stay in big groups and don’t get in trouble. I’ll come help you out on the next moon.”
“Am I dangerous until then?” she asked.
He gave her a serious look. “Maybe.”
They made their way back to the lake. It was easy with Rylie’s sense of smell. Seth took her to Camp Silver Brook in the canoe, but this time, their trip was silent. Rylie stared up at the waxing sliver of moon in the sky.
Why had Rylie, of all people, been bitten? She was going to become a wolf at the end of summer, and she hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
She got out on the beach. Seth stayed in the canoe.
“I’ll see you on the full moon,” he said, passing the folder to her. His fingers brushed against hers. “Remember: lay low.”
She climbed her way back to camp and looked for Seth once she reached the office. Seth waited in the boat, and although it was too dark to see his face, she could tell he was watching her go.
Rylie got into bed and huddled under the sheets. She didn’t fall asleep.
It was a long time until morning.
Eight
Laying Low
For a few days, Rylie thought she might actually get away with her trip to the other side by following Seth’s orders. She stayed in her cabin when she could and passed the time by reading The Legends of Gray Mountain by flashlight.
The young werewolf changes late at night, when the moon is at its height. As he ages, he begins to transform earlier and earlier, until finally, at full maturity, he can change on the night of the full moon at will. In the early years, he is mindless, and he knows insatiable hunger.
Rylie stared at the words
insatiable hunger
. She shivered.
When she had to leave the cabin for activities, Rylie participated without arguing. She swam in the lake and went kayaking. She made bracelets, learned about edible flora, and took hikes. Amber still looked like she was afraid Rylie would explode, so they avoided each other. Louise was relieved.
“You’ve been doing great this week,” she said when Rylie was helping clean up after a campfire dinner. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
She gave the counselor a weak smile. It was hard to rebel when all she could think about was becoming furry on the next full moon.
Rylie tried to get through all of The Legends of Gray Mountain, but she found herself returning again and again to the pages depicting what would happen every moon. The final werewolf looked like a normal wolf, but bigger and deadlier.
Her fear wasn’t the worst part. No. The worst part was that she was almost excited.
She tried to banish the thought, just like she tried to ignore the meat on the buffet line, but it was hard without other distractions. Amber hadn’t picked on her much since the archery incident, and everyone else was avoiding her, too. Making hemp lanyards was hardly more interesting than The Legends.
If nothing else, reading made her free time pass quickly. She started reading it by the campfire’s flickering flames during her free time in the evening, too, brushing ash off the pages.
The next full moon.
Rylie curled her fingers to examine them. She couldn’t imagine claws bursting from the tips. It was ridiculous. Nightmarish.
But her symptoms were undeniable. One lunch, Rylie found herself hovering over the sandwich meat again, imagining the feel of it tearing between her teeth. They would have hamburger
He sat beside her on the log, slinging his arm over her shoulders in a comforting half hug. “Yeah. I do.” Rylie’s cheeks heated again. Becoming a werewolf couldn’t be too bad if it meant getting Seth to comfort her.
“There’s another full moon in a few days,” she said. “What do I do?”
“I think you should lay low. The werewolf is a person, so it might come looking for you.” She opened her mouth to speak, but Seth went on before she could. “I’m not trying to scare you. Just stay in big groups and don’t get in trouble. I’ll come help you out on the next moon.”
“Am I dangerous until then?” she asked.
He gave her a serious look. “Maybe.”
They made their way back to the lake. It was easy with Rylie’s sense of smell. Seth took her to Camp Silver Brook in the canoe, but this time, their trip was silent. Rylie stared up at the waxing sliver of moon in the sky.
Why had Rylie, of all people, been bitten? She was going to become a wolf at the end of summer, and she hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
She got out on the beach. Seth stayed in the canoe.
“I’ll see you on the full moon,” he said, passing the folder to her. His fingers brushed against hers. “Remember: lay low.”
She climbed her way back to camp and looked for Seth once she reached the office. Seth waited in the boat, and although it was too dark to see his face, she could tell he was watching her go.
Rylie got into bed and huddled under the sheets. She didn’t fall asleep.
It was a long time until morning.
Eight
Laying Low
For a few days, Rylie thought she might actually get away with her trip to the other side by following Seth’s orders. She stayed in her cabin when she could and passed the time by reading The Legends of Gray Mountain by flashlight.
The young werewolf changes late at night, when the moon is at its height. As he ages, he begins to transform earlier and earlier, until finally, at full maturity, he can change on the night of the full moon at will. In the early years, he is mindless, and he knows insatiable hunger.
Rylie stared at the words
insatiable hunger
. She shivered.
When she had to leave the cabin for activities, Rylie participated without arguing. She swam in the lake and went kayaking. She made bracelets, learned about edible flora, and took hikes. Amber still looked like she was afraid Rylie would explode, so they avoided each other. Louise was relieved.
“You’ve been doing great this week,” she said when Rylie was helping clean up after a campfire dinner. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
She gave the counselor a weak smile. It was hard to rebel when all she could think about was becoming furry on the next full moon.
Rylie tried to get through all of The Legends of Gray Mountain, but she found herself returning again and again to the pages depicting what would happen every moon. The final werewolf looked like a normal wolf, but bigger and deadlier.
Her fear wasn’t the worst part. No. The worst part was that she was almost excited.
She tried to banish the thought, just like she tried to ignore the meat on the buffet line, but it was hard without other distractions. Amber hadn’t picked on her much since the archery incident, and everyone else was avoiding her, too. Making hemp lanyards was hardly more interesting than The Legends.
If nothing else, reading made her free time pass quickly. She started reading it by the campfire’s flickering flames during her free time in the evening, too, brushing ash off the pages.
The next full moon.
Rylie curled her fingers to examine them. She couldn’t imagine claws bursting from the tips. It was ridiculous. Nightmarish.
But her symptoms were undeniable. One lunch, Rylie found herself hovering over the sandwich meat again, imagining the feel of it tearing between her teeth. They would have hamburger
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